Only one lane of Geary Boulevard was shut down to traffic today, as opposed to all four during the last go around: Click to expand:

Fifty years of resistance, 1959-2009:

The horn-honking of solidarity with the protesting crowd from passing traffic was infectious:

A perspective on public relations:

From the Chinese point of view there are perfectly legitimate internal communications (or propaganda, if you prefer) reasons to designate this holiday. It’s a high-profile re-statement of the official Chinese “emancipation” narrative on the annexation of Tibet, an important pillar of legitimacy and a cornerstone of the messaging that is used to this day to justify that annexation to both internal and external audiences. Unfortunately, loaded with unintentional irony as it is, “Serf Emancipation Day” is going to enter foreign ears like a butcher knife coated in rock salt.”

Hopefully people from one side won’t start hanging themselves off of the consulate 30 feet in the air and people from the other side won’t cut any ropes, you know, the way it went down last year on Laguna Street.